Gas powered gun



M wm hAC O L T MAMH mm R W J FM n LA M OU t WL t RW A United States Patent Op 3,056,395 GAS POWERED GUN Rudolf Merz, Rochester, NY., and William R. Malcolm,

Baldwin Parli, Calif., assignors to Crosman Arms Company, Inc., Fairport, NX., a corporation oi New York Filed Apr. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 305,948 7 Claims. (121. 124-11) This invention relates to a gas-powered gun, and more particularly to an improved gas-powered gun which is adapted to propel a missile for throwing a line as, for instance, through a conduit. ln a still more speciiic aspect the invention relates to an improved gas-powered gun in which the propelling gas is supplied from a replaceable, expendable cartridge which is adapted to contain a given volume of the propelling gas under a predetermined pressure when changed.

Heretofore, gas-powered guns, which were used for propelling a missile for throwing a line, were so constructed, that it was necessary to use the entire supply of gas from a single cartridge each time a missile was propelled from the gun.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an irnproved gas-powered gun for shooting a wire or line which can tire several shots from the gas of a single cartridge.

Another object of this invention is to provide an irnproved gas powered pistol for shooting a wire or line through a conduit which is more powerful than the gaspowered pistols heretofore used for shooting lines through conduits.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved gas-powered gun which is so arranged that the missile itself provides an added chamber for the gas charge so that when the gun is tired there is force propelling the projectile and increasing its range and speed.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved gas-powered gun of the character described which is powerful in operation, simple in its construction, and economical to manufacture.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a projectile for a gun of the character described which has improved means for attaching a line adjacent the rear of the projectile.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved missile or projectile for a gun of the character described.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the drawings, the specitication, and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional View showing a pistol constructed according to one embodiment of this invention and having a hollow tubular projectile also made according to this invention loaded therein, which has a line attached to its rear and showing a conduit, and the pistol in position to shoot the line through a conduit;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged View, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the rear end of this projectile; and

FIG. 3 is a rear end elevation of the projectile.

Referring now to the drawing by numerals of reference, the gun, which is a pistol, comprises a stock or handle grip 100 which supports an elongated cylindrical tube 101. The tube 101 is secured to the grip 100 by means of screws 102. A cylindrical valve body 1434 is secured in the tube 101 intermediate the ends of the tube 101 by means of a screw 165. The valve body 104i has a forward portion 107 of `reduced diameter and a rear portion or stem 199 which is also of reduced diameter. The valve body seats at its forward end against a shoulder 133 in the tube.

The valve body 104 has an axially-extending bore 140,

3,056,395 Patented Oct. 2, 1962 which is of reduced diameter adjacent its rear end and which communicates adjacent its rear end with a radial duct 141 that extends from bore 14@ to the periphery of the valve body. A piercing pin has a pressed tit in the reduced diameter portion of bore 140 and projects axially beyond the rear end of the valve body. Surrounding the piercing pin 145 and interposed between the rear ofthe valve body 1414 and a shoulder, which is formed on the pin intermediate its ends, is a sealing gasket 146.

A housing 150, which is adapted to hold a. conventional CO2 cartridge 153, is secured at the rear end of the tube 1111. F[his housing has a forwardly extending cylindrical portion 151 which slidably tits in the rear of the tube 1111, and surrounds the portion 109 of the valve body This portion of this valve body has an enlarged externally threaded portion intermediate its ends, as denoted at 152, and the front end of the housing is counterbored and threaded internally to threadably engage the threaded portion 152 of the valve body and thereby be adjustably secured thereto. Rearwardly of the threaded counterbore, the housing 151 is further counterbored to have a slight clearance with reference to the rear reduced diameter portion 1599 ofthe valve body as will be described hereinafter. The housing is formed also with a seat 162 against which the sealing gasket 146 engages; and rearwardly of this seat the housing is provided with a bore 156 through which the piercing pin 145 projects. This bore communicates at its rear with the chamber formed in the housing that contains the cartridge 153. A gasket 155 seats in a counterbore that is formed in the housing at the rear of the bore 156; and this gasket forms a seat for the front end of the cartridge. A thrust member 154 is adjustably threaded into the rear of the housing for shoving the cartridge forward in the housing so that the forward end face of the gas cartridge seats against the gasket and is pierced by the pin 145 to release the compressed gas from the cartridge. As long as the valve seat 162 seats, however7 against the gasket 146 the gas cannot escape beyond this seat.

A hollow projectile, such as 110, `is adapted to be used with this gun. The projectile 110 comprises a tube 10S, which is closed at its forward end by a plug 111 that is threaded therein. An G-ring 112 pressure seals the joint between the tube 163 and the plug 111. A tubular, cylindrical member 114 is threadably secured to the rear of the projectile tube 1118 by threads 115. The member 114 has an O-ring 116 which pressure seals the joint between the tube 168 and the member 114.

The member 114 is provided with a cylindrical guide portion 117 and is formed at its rear with a conical portion 118, which is axially spaced from the portion 117 by an annular recess 119. Portion 117 is of the same diameter as the external diameter of tube 108 but is of greater diameter than the portion 118. One end of the line 120, which is to be thrown, is tied in the groove 119. The portion 11S has an axially extending groove 121 and the portion 117 has an aligned notch 122 in it. The notch 122 aids when securing the line in the groove 119. The barrel 101 itself has an internal longitudinal groove 103 in it into which the line lits when the projectile is in place in the gun.

The line 120, which is to be thrown, is wound on a rotatable reel 125 that is contained in a housing 128, which is attached .to a bracket 126 on the gun body 101 by a nut and bolt 127. Before inserting the projectile, one end of the line 120 is tied in the annular groove 119 of the member 114i. The projectile 110 is then inserted into the front of the tube 101 with the line 120 dropped into notch 122 and tting into the internal groove 103 of the tube. The projectile 110 itself is adapted to be seated for firing over .the reduced diameter portion 107 of the valve body.

An O-ring 123, which seats in an internal groove in member 114, seals the rear end of the projectile on the front end 107 of the valve body. A trigger sear 130 is reciprocably mounted in the tube 101. This sear has an eye at its lower en d. The member 114- has an annular groove 132, and the trigger sear 130 engages in this groove to hold the projectile in position in the barrel. A trigger 135, which is pivotally mounted at 136 in the gun stock, has a projection 137 that fits into the eye of the sear. A coil spring 138 urges the trigger in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. l to force the trigger sear 130 into the groove 132. Member 139 denotes the safety mechanism for the gun.

To use the gun it is first loaded by shoving a projectile over the reduced portion 107 of the valve body and is pushed rearwardly until the sear 130 snaps into the annular groove 132 thereby holding the projectile in position in the tube.

The thrust member 154 is then threaded inwardly pushing the gas cartridge 153 against the gasket 155, causing the piercing pin 145 to pierce the cartridge. The entire housing 150 is then threaded rearwardly to move the valve seat 162 away from the gasket 146, which permits gas to flow between the peripheral surface of the portion 109 of the valve body and the portion 151 of the housing 150. This gas enters the radial port 141 and the bore 140 into the interior of the hollow projectile 110. An O-ring 134 prevents the escape of the gas forwardly between `the portion 109 and the portion 151. After a few seconds, to permit the desired pressure to be built up in the chamber formed by the hollow projectile 110 and the bore 140, the housing 150 is threaded forward in the tube 101, until the valve seat 162 engages against the gasket 146 `thereby preventing any further escape of gas from the cartridge 153.

To string a line through a conduit, such as the conduit 175 shown in FIG. l, the tube 101 is positioned so that the projectile 110 partially extends into the conduit. The trigger 135 is then pulled, thereby disengaging the trigger Sear 130 from the annular groove 132 and allowing the gas pressure, which is built up in the bore 141) and in the interior of the hollow projectile, to propel the hollow projectile 110 out of the tube 101, and through conduit 175.

When the projectile 110 moves forward in the tube 101, the line 120` which fits loosely in the groove 103 can enter the notch 121 in the portion 118. The line can therefore trail the projectile without danger of becoming fouled or broken.

As this gun is adapted to be used for Stringing line or wire through a conduit, the diameter of the project1le should be of smaller diameter than the diameter of the conduit into which it is being propelled so that the projectile will not bind in the conduit during its travel and will not jam when it encounters a bend in the condult. After the line 120, has been shot through the conduit 175, an elecertic cable or chain, for example, may be fastened to the trailing end of the line and pulled through the conduit, by means of the line.

While the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains andas may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore Set forth, and as fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

l. A hollow projectile for shooting a line comprising a tube closed at its forward end, line securing means attached to the rear of said tube, said line securing means having an annular groove for tying one end of said line Itherein, and having a portion rearward of said groove which is of lesser diameter than said tube, said portion having a peripheral notch for receiving said line when tied around said annular groove.

2. A hollow projectile for shooting a line, comprising a tube closed at its front end, a cylindrical member attached to the open end of said tube, Said member having an annular shoulder of reduced diameter at its rear, a notch formed in said shoulder, a second shoulder spaced forwardly of said first shoulder, said second and first shoulders bounding an annular groove for fastening one end of said line, and a second notch in said second shoulder axially aligned with said first notch.

3. A hollow projectile for shooting a line, comprising a tube, a plug closing the front end of said tube, a tubular cylindrical member axially attached to the other end of said tube, said member having an annular shoulder of reduced diameter at its rear, a notch formed in said shoulder, a second shoulder spaced forwardly of said first shoulder, said second and first Shoulders bounding an annular groove for fastening one end of said line a second notch in said second shoulder aligned axially with said rst notch, and an annular sealing member positioned in an annular groove formed in the interior wall of said cylindrical member.

4. Apparatus for projecting a flexible line through a conduit or the like comprising a gas powered gun having a tubular barrel and a chamber for containing gas under pressure, a hollow projectile which is closed at its outer end and open at its inner end, means for centering the open end of said projectile in said barrel, means for conducting gas under pressure from said chamber through the open end of said projectile to the interior thereof, valve means in said gun operable to control the flow of the gas from said chamber into said projectile, said projectile having two axially spaced annular shoulders on the outer surface thereof adjacent its open end defining therebetween an annular recess in which one end of a flexible line is adapted to be secured, one of said shoulders having means thereon for positioning said line while said projectile is in said barrel, and the other of said shoulders having means thereon for guiding said line during the flight of said projectile from said barrel, said barrel having further line-guiding means on its inside surface confronting both said positioning and guiding means when said projectile is in said barrel and adapted to cooperate with said positioning and guiding means to guide said line into and out of said barrel during positioning of the projectile in said barrel and flight of the projectile from said barrel, respectively, land triggeroperated means mounted on said gun for releasably holding said projectile in said barrel.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein one of said shoulders has a notch in the surface thereof communicating with said annular recess, the walls of said notch delining said line positioning means on said projectile, and wherein the other of said shoulders has a groove therein extending for the full axial length of said other shoulder `and aligned with said notch and extending normal to and communicating with said annular recess, the axially extending walls of said groove defining said line guiding means on said projectile, and the inside surface of said barrel having a slot therein extending rearwardly from the muzzle end of said barrel, the walls of which define said further line guiding means in said barrel.

6. A hollow projectile for shooting a line from a gun and through a conduit or the like, said projectile being closed at its forward end and open at its rear end, means on said projectile adjacent the open end thereof for sealingly connecting the open end of Said projectile to a source of gas under pressure, two axially spaced annular shoulders on the outer surface of said projectile adjacent its open end, said shoulders detining therebetween an annular yrecess in which one end of a flexible line is adapted to be secured, one of said shoulders having a notch therein dening positioning means on said projectile for a line secured in said recess, the other of said shoulders having a groove therein laligned with said notch and extending for the full length of said other shoulder and normal to and communicating with said annular recess for positioning and guiding a line secured in said recess during the flight of said projectile from the barrel of a gun.

7. Apparatus for projecting a ilexible line through a conduit or the like comprising a gas powered gun having a tubular barrel and a chamber for containing gas under pressure, a hollow projectile which is closed at its outer end and open at its inner end, said projectile being releasably mounted in said barrel with its open end positioned to communicate with said chamber, means on said gun operable to admit gas under pressure from said chamber through said open end to the projectile interior, means lfor mounting a supply of flexible line on the exterior of said gun, means on said projectile adjacent the inner, open end thereof for attaching one end of said flexible line to said projectile, said means on said projectile adjacent the Open end thereof including axially spaced annnular shoulders defining an annular recess therebetween, one of said shoulders having a notch therein communicating with said recess, and the other of said shoulders having a slot therein aligned with said notch and extending normal to and communicating with said recess, said barrel having a longitudinal slot in its bore extending from the muzzle end thereof toward said line attaching means and cooperating `with the latter to guide the line from said line supply to said attaching means, and means including a trigger movably mounted on said gun for releasably holding said projectile in said barrel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,204,370 Lefever June 11, 1940 2,204,372 McHenry June 11, 1940 2,688,321 Martin Sept. 7, 1954 2,699,767' Mangolini Jan. 18, 1955 2,723,656 Andina Nov. 15, 1955 2,821,397 Hartigan Ian. 28, 1958 2,833,266 Mares May 6, 1958 2,891,794 Meyer June 23, 1959 2,930,584 Hensley et al. Mar. 29, 1960 

